DAOs today typically operate with a mix of governance mechanisms that shape the organization’s decision-making, funding allocation, coordination, and culture. They cover a broad spectrum from technical to human, trustware to socialware, and metaverse to meatspace. On one end, there are automatically enforceable rules hard-coded into smart contracts. On the other, there are informal rituals that spread like wildfire.

We’re excited to introduce a framework that unpacks our approach to governance and defines the mechanisms that will shape the Aragon DAO.

Aragon is an established project in web3, with high impact technology, a reputable brand, and a sizable treasury. Transitioning an established organization into a DAO has different implications than starting a DAO from scratch. There are responsibilities to honor, a legacy to protect, and a future to secure.

Due to our unique circumstances, we need to carefully balance the decentralization of governance with the protection of our stakeholders and assets. Our priority is to deploy a secure delegate voting DAO, as signaled by ANT Holders to transfer to the Aragon treasury.

The first step to decentralizing the governance of the organization is to deploy a lean, functional and secure default delegate governance model for the Aragon DAO. The starting point we will deploy is not the end state of the organization. It is not meant to capture the entire spectrum of governance mechanisms at the outset: it is meant to provide a solid foundation for its evolution.

Over time, the governance of Aragon DAO should evolve into a constellation that enforces the rights and responsibilities of stakeholders (ANT Holders, Delegates, and Contributors) with appropriate mechanisms (Rules, Guidelines, and Practices). We should strive to continuously iterate on governance operations, before and most importantly after the Aragon DAO is deployed.

Experimenting with governance is in Aragon's DNA. Competing ideas are healthy. The most compelling ones will rise to the surface, gain momentum, and earn token holder support. Therefore, our governance mechanisms will be designed with few up front assumptions in order to expedite the discovery of good ideas and minimize governance bureaucracy.

There are three mechanisms to coordinate Aragon DAO governance:

• Rules enforced by the on-chain deployment and applicable laws, which will establish the default governance model of the organization.

• Guidelines indirectly enforced by voting at the token holder and delegate level, which will establish the operational standards of the organization.

• Practices reinforced by the culture within and between teams, which will shape our ways of working and coordinating.

DAOs today typically operate with a mix of governance mechanisms that shape the organization’s decision-making, funding allocation, coordination, and culture. They cover a broad spectrum from technical to human, trustware to socialware, and metaverse to meatspace. On one end, there are automatically enforceable rules hard-coded into smart contracts. On the other, there are informal rituals that spread like wildfire.

We’re excited to introduce a framework that unpacks our approach to governance and defines the mechanisms that will shape the Aragon DAO.

Aragon is an established project in web3, with high impact technology, a reputable brand, and a sizable treasury. Transitioning an established organization into a DAO has different implications than starting a DAO from scratch. There are responsibilities to honor, a legacy to protect, and a future to secure.

Due to our unique circumstances, we need to carefully balance the decentralization of governance with the protection of our stakeholders and assets. Our priority is to deploy a secure delegate voting DAO, as signaled by ANT Holders to transfer to the Aragon treasury.

The first step to decentralizing the governance of the organization is to deploy a lean, functional and secure default delegate governance model for the Aragon DAO. The starting point we will deploy is not the end state of the organization. It is not meant to capture the entire spectrum of governance mechanisms at the outset: it is meant to provide a solid foundation for its evolution.

Over time, the governance of Aragon DAO should evolve into a constellation that enforces the rights and responsibilities of stakeholders (ANT Holders, Delegates, and Contributors) with appropriate mechanisms (Rules, Guidelines, and Practices). We should strive to continuously iterate on governance operations, before and most importantly after the Aragon DAO is deployed.

Experimenting with governance is in Aragon's DNA. Competing ideas are healthy. The most compelling ones will rise to the surface, gain momentum, and earn token holder support. Therefore, our governance mechanisms will be designed with few up front assumptions in order to expedite the discovery of good ideas and minimize governance bureaucracy.

There are three mechanisms to coordinate Aragon DAO governance:

• Rules enforced by the on-chain deployment and applicable laws, which will establish the default governance model of the organization.

• Guidelines indirectly enforced by voting at the token holder and delegate level, which will establish the operational standards of the organization.

• Practices reinforced by the culture within and between teams, which will shape our ways of working and coordinating.